Lord of the Fading Lands (The Tairen Soul Book 1)

The Tairen Soul Series is probably one of the best I have ever read. Each book builds on the next but is written in such a way that anyone can pick up any of the books and start the series. If that happens believe me they will be searching for the rest of the books in this awesome series. I eagerly await more from C.L.Wilson

Rainier vel'En Daris Feyreisen, the Tairen Soul, King of the Fading Lands, and Defender of the Fey has got to do something to save his people. There is only one fertile female tairen, and her offspring are dying inside their eggs. His people are dying, his land is barren, and there is nothing he can do about it. Desperate for a cure, Rain seeks out one of the more powerful Fey objects, a magical crystal called the Eye of Truth. After punishing him for having the audacity to seek answers from such a holy object, the Eye tells Rain that she salvation of his people and himself lies in a land called Celieria and shows him the image of a red-haired, green-eyed girl. Though he hates that cursed land since it reminds him of love lost and battles fought long ago, Rain decides to accompany Marissya, the only remaining female Fey, on her trip to Celieria in the hopes of finding the girl and saving his people.

Ellysetta Baristani is the peasant daughter of a woodcarver in Celieria. She is not the biological child of this family, but they found her in the woods and raised her as their own. Ellie has never felt that she was anything but a full member of the Baristani family, even though there is a darkness inside her that she struggles to contain. When it is learned that the Tairen Soul is coming to Celieria, Ellie's younger twin sisters ask her to accompany them to the ceremony. No one has seen the King of the Fey in more than a thousand years, and Ellie acquiesces to her sister's demands. In the crowded mass of people gathered to see the visiting Fey, one of Ellie's sisters is injured. When she kisses her sister's wound to make it better, the spark of magic between them calls the Tairen Soul from the sky and changes Ellie's life forever...

As the Fey king, Rain will sacrifice anything for his people, and once he meets Ellie and learns that she is his truemate, he will do anything to protect her as well. These two barely even hook up, but the romantic tension was palpable and the passion between them was evident at every turn. Ellysetta is just a sweet, simple country girl who just wants to be happy. She never aspired to be a queen, let alone the wife of most powerful Fey alive. She has no idea the power that she wields and instead just wants to find happiness with Rain and live a simple life. But of course that's not going to happen. There are dark forces who wish to do her harm, and those who think that the Fey king deserves better than a peasant Celierian.

I read a lot of books--romance, fantasy, paranormal, literary fiction. I cannot remember the last time I have been so utterly dazzled by storytelling. C.L. Wilson's magical world is the best of all genres. The fantastical Fey with their tairen souls (tairen are winged cat-like creatures that can fly), the dark Eld who wield sorcery in an attempt to wrest control from the Fey and dim their Light, the stunning royal court with its mystery and intrigue--this book has something for all readers. I don't know what else to say except to pick up Lord of the Fading Lands when you have hours to spare because you won't want to put it down. I can't wait to read the next book in the series, Lady of Light and Shadows.

Has wasily become one of my few favorite series. I can read these over again and fall in love for the first time over and over. A unique reading experience that is difficult to put down, so happy to have this in my collection :)

I bought this because it was recommended to me as a guide to good writing. Really? It was so boring. It just went on and on and on without any resolution. Yes, it was the first book of a series but there should've been some resolution.

The hero was a predictable brooding, possessive guy while the girl was this delicate, couldn't hurt a fly, all powerful but scaredy-cat girl. I like my heroines to have backbones not simpering, woe-is-me, come save me damsel in distress.

This fictional world is underdeveloped and the characters are one dimensional. I have hope that they will get better in book 2 but I don't think its worth the money or time to find out. I wanted to love this book but it fell sadly flat.

Lush and well paced, this story is the beginning of a beautiful (book) friendship. Long before I was finished, I was checking the store to see if there were more in the series. The plot takes it's time and does it right.

One of the most exciting and well written books I have read in years. An adventure into a fantasy land with characters filled with emotion and integrity, and villians ready to chill you to the bone. I cannot wait for the next chapter in the series. This new author is the first to rival Sherilyn Kenyon in years. Phoebe

I honestly thought that this book was going to be leaps and bounds better than what I actually experienced after reading it. Thank goodness it was something amazingly cheap like $3.15 to purchase the Kindle edition. Engrossing? Get out of here. The main character is about as bland as they come. For goodness sakes, the whole world is obsessed with these beautiful, powerful faeries, including the main character but when it's hinted that Ellysetta might have magic, too - she runs away from the possibility? I don't know which reason the author provides bothers me more: that she is just a boring girl, or because she listens to her prejudiced and bigoted mother too much.

The romance was quite unrealistic. Why are men in fantasy novels always constantly at war with the "beasts inside them?" Its the most unsophisticated attempt as masculinity I have ever heard. Why can't they just have quick tempers or be gym-rats or love cooking, which are much more believable characteristics of manliness. It doesn't bother me that Rain has somehow imprinted on her like Jacob from the Twilight series, but why would he show no interest in learning more about his love? They can't have any real conversations because the author has some preconceived notion about what a lustful relationship looks like - but trust me, people spend just as much time using their words to get other people into bed. And the scene where he uses his magic to simulate them having sex? GOD HELP US ALL. Either go all the way or not at all, because that was truly embarrassing.

Poor characters. Boring writing. Go read the Graceling series by Kristin Cashore instead and then understand why I demand believable romance and magic and strong female leads all in the same book.

I didn't give two stars lightly. There were serious problems I had with this book and afterwards, I felt like I had swallowed a sandwich that gave me terrible indigestion. Not a satisfying feeling at all.

1) For starters, there are obvious similarities to Anne Bishop's Black Jewel Series, among many other romances written by other fantasy romance authors.

2) The hero dreams and fantasizes about his previous wife who is dead. He conjures her ghost and kisses her and thinks of her constantly. She's been dead for 1000 years. He grieves her and mourns her and doesn't want another wife... wait am I reading a book on the grief of lost loved ones or a romance? I thought this was the start of where the book went horribly, horribly wrong.

3) The entire book has the underlying thread of the hero only liking the heroine because she's his soul mate. It won't be like his other wife which was a "love born of the heart" match. Comforting to know, right? The author went too TOO too far with the exwife deal. It ruined the romance and made the hero seem like he preferred cheating with a ghost. It DID NOT give the impression he would be the same with the heroine, just made the hero look like he couldn't let go of the past.

4) What the hell is with all the wedding preparations? I wanted a fantasy romance, instead I got a book on wedding preparations in a make believe world. Chapters and chapters of picking out clothes, shoes, gowns, getting manner lessons, blah blah blah. Shouldn't they have been having sex by now? Shouldn't they have been in the Fading Lands, her husband's home by now? Noooo, we are given scene after scene of the heroine's mother cracking a s*&t at everything that walks and being a total b^%*( to her daughter.

5) The mother was not believable in any way, shape or form. She allowed her DAUGHTER to be mauled by some guy, this guy bit her and then her mother forced her into a marriage contract. The mother doesn't care that her daughter is desperately unhappy. Yet when the heroine meets the hero and is about to marry him, the mother raises all sorts of objections, never minding that her daughter actually likes the hero, he is richer. It's all to do with magic and the mother's objections made me wonder why the heroine just didn't leave her mother the first chance she got. No mother would do that to her daughter. Especially given all the years of care beforehand.

6) The filler... *groan* The boy who likes to bite had to have his day in court, some villains who are as boring as housework and other random stuff that was a chore to read.

7) No real sex scene. More or less this book is still in the first 3 days when the hero talks to her family about marriage and they do all the wedding prep.

8) The ending. This is what cemented the idea that I will never buy the next in the series. I was so frustrated. I slogged through this book until the early hours and then it just suddenly ends!! They don't go back to his homeland, they don't get married yet in hers, they don't know anything real about the villain.

9) This book veered so off course it wasn't funny. Not recommended.

More Fantasy than Romance. It reminded me of the Lord of the Rings and just as long (this story continues in another book). I found myself wishing "Get to the point already!". Sweet but weak heroine. Hero is okay. Nothing to keep me interested and I couldn't finish. Another one for the used book store.

This was my second time reading Lord of the Fading Lands. I was completely enchanted this time around, just as I had been the first time. Whenever I try to explain this book to anyone, they automatically cringe at the idea of a flying, fire-breathing, big cat. It does seem really out-there, but when you’re actually reading the story, it becomes believable. C.L. Wilson does an excellent job of suspending disbelief.

Rain is a Tarien Soul, a Fey who can shapeshift into a tairen, which is like a dragon but is a cat. Normally, Fey like Rain cannot have a truemate, a person who he can share is soul with. Because the tairens are dying out, the gods have made it possible for Rain to have a truemate. Her soul calls out to him. Unfortunately, Rain is ill-prepared to deal with his emotions, both those of the creature inside him and his feelings about his wife who was killed many years before.

Ellie, his truemate, is also ill-prepared to deal with this because she doesn’t believe in her worth or her magic.

I’ll admit I’m not much into the whole destined mates or soulmate concept. I usually don’t like books like this. I guess the reason I like this one so much is because neither Rain nor Ellie fall instantly in love. Rain knows he has no choice but to bond with Ellie, but he really doesn’t want to at first. Ellie knows that, which kind of puts a damper on their relationship.

Also, the world-building is excellent. I can picture the different territories and races. I felt like I was a part of this world; there wasn’t anything confusing.

This book is great because I always had the sense that someone was watching Ellie and wanted to do something with or to her. I was concerned for Ellie’s safety. That’s part of what kept me turning pages.

Ellie is a great character. She’s a woodcarver’s daughter, simple and plain. However, she has an inner strength and beauty that makes her remarkable, not just because of her magic but because of her love of her family and friends. She’s kind and forgiving, but not overly naive. She’s willful, but not rude.

Rain is a pretty typical male lead. He struggles with keeping his inner beast under control. He’s violent and aggressive, but he really wants to do the right thing for Ellie.

Some of the other characters were very endearing as well, especially a few of the warrior Fey and Ellie’s little sisters.

Now, I must explain why I didn’t give this book the full five stars…

It’s a total cliffhanger. Nothing gets resolved. You have to read the next book in the series. I don’t like being forced to read another book, even though I know I will.

Still, I strongly recommend reading Lord of the Fading Lands if you haven’t already. I believe this book would appeal to readers who like the idea of a common girl becoming a queen. Also, it would appeal to readers who like a solid fantasy world.

“Ver reisa ku'chae. Kem surah, shei'tani.
(Your soul calls out. Mine answers, beloved.)”

"They stood there by the Velpin for many long, silent chimes, the woodcarver's daughter and the man who had once almost destroyed the world, the man whose face was now drawn in lines of mingled joy and anguish."

She blinked in surprise. Since the moment she had put her hand in his and he had pulled her into his arms, she felt as if he knew everything there was to know about her. It was surprising and disconcerting to realize that, in fact, they knew each other not at all."

The path is different for every truemated couple, and it is never a simple one. Both Rain and Ellysetta will be tested, as will the strength of their bond, and they must prove their worthiness before the bond can be complete.

LORD OF THE FADING LANDS by C.L. Wilson is phenomenally awesome. OMG, what took me so long to read this book? It's been on my to-read list since last summer. I discovered C.L. Wilson when I read her THE WINTER KING last year. It was another epic adult romantic fantasy masterpiece. At that time, I vowed to check out this other series of hers and I'm so glad I have. The story, the setting, the characters... I'm indelibly hooked. LORD OF THE FADING LANDS is the story of the last Fey King Tairen Soul, Rainier vel'En Daris, and a seemingly ordinary young and innocent woodcutter's daughter, Ellysetta Baristani.

To enjoy this book, you have to accept that the setting is fictitious, yet seemingly real. Celeria is a land where ordinary humans live with some intermingled Fey. There is much distrust of the Fey and their magic among the humans. The Fey's homeland is the Fading Lands and it has been off-limits to humans since the Mage Wars. There's a deep connection between the Fey and the Tairen, a race of huge-winged panther-life cat creatures. The Tairen, though, are sadly a dying breed. AND, finally, there are mages who embrace evil. They were defeated in the Mage Wars and are determined to rise again - this time to claim victory no matter what the cost.

I loved both Rain and Ellysetta. Rain is the epitome of a tortured hero. As the story opens, twenty-four-year-old Ellysetta is being made to marry a bully who has forced himself upon her. All her life she has dreamed of Rain and the Fey and is adept in Fey lore. She has suffered from terrible nightmares all her life - to the point where her family had her exorcised by the Church.

Rainer aka Rain is famous not only for the love he lost but for scorching the world and going mad when he lost that love so tragically. It's been 1,000 years since he has been to Celeria, but he will come and he will identify Ellysetta as his truemate, destined to complete his soul. Theirs is a love for the ages. But... will the Elden forces of evil allow their mating? You have to read this epic series to find out!

Some of my favorite scenes occurred when Rain took Ellysetta riding upon his back when he was in Tairen form. Oh! The places they went and the things they saw and did!

The author's rich imagination seems to know no bounds. This book blends fantasy into what truly feels like an historical romance as the author paints each scene with a life-like touch. I've already started the second book, LADY OF LIGHT AND SHADOWS, which, thank goodness, is available, as this book ends without the primary conflict resolution. There's not a cliff-hanger per se, but I still strongly feel that the story is not done. I highly recommend LORD OF THE FADING LANDS to anyone who enjoys magnificent adult romantic fantasies.

My full review is posted at Reading Between The Wines Book Club. Please check it out there.

5 Wine Glasses!